Rising stars to compete for Women's League title

Durban - South Africa's rising football talent will gather in Mafikeng to contest the second Absa Women's League title.

The competition will see nine provincial teams engage in battle from August 9 -14 at the Itsoseng Stadium in the Itsoseng Township.

While the competition is a platform for young talent to be identified for the country's national teams, there are also other benefits for players.

During the tournament, women will engage in life skills programmes that include financial planning, self management and social skills.

Experienced referees, administrators and coaches will conduct workshops with tournament referees; team managers and coaches.

SAFA CEO Leslie Sedibe said the competition, which started in 2009, has accelerated the development of women football in the 52 SAFA Regions.

"Our national under 17 Women team has made history by becoming the first Women National Team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Our mid and long term goals is to have Basetsana and Banyana Banyana also representing the country in the FIFA World Cup," said Sedibe.

"We see this league as an important platform to identify and groom young talent countrywide. The National Championship is definitely a culmination of hard work by players, referees, coaches and administrators".

Women National Team's Coach Augustine Makalakalane has lauded the competition as last year's National Championship had been a great opportunity for his technical team to identify players for the under 17 national squad.

"Five young girls have been selected to play for their country at this year's under 17 FIFA Women's World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago in September and this is a honour for any sportsman," said Makalakalane.

Absa Group Executive: Marketing, Angie Burton said South Africa's recent hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup has created a hype around women's football.

"This is now our second successful year as sponsors of the Absa Women's League and we are proud to see how much this league has grown. With so much going on for our country, this is a hugely exciting time for women's football; the excitement around the World Cup has certainly benefited women's football," Burton said.

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